Comments:

Mr. Hosta Guy [Rob] impressed me on the phone and his attention to details prompted me to place my first order with him. My plants were shipped as promised and arrived in perfect condition. The plant sizes and especially the big root systems [[to me roots and crown are the most important sign of a plant that is healthy and will grow quickly] meet my criteria for plant success.
I was also impressed with Rob's follow-up after the shipment and his quick response to an inquiry that I made after receiving my order.

First time to order by mail from Made in the Shade but had heard many positive comments from other members of the St Louis Hosta Society. We have had such cool, rainy weather that I didn't even think to check before telling them to go ahead and ship. They traveled over two days in the 90s. Coming out of the box, they looked so fresh I couldn't believe it was possible. They were the healthiest, largest root systems I have ever ordered. Will always check here first to see if they have what I am looking for.

I am extremely pleased with my hosta plants. They arrived promptly. They were huge plants, healthy and green. The best plants I've ever received mail-order. I was shocked at how lovely the plants were as I opened the box. They have exceeded my expectations. They are now my first choice for hosta orders.

Shame on me for not posting after receipt of my 1st order with Made In The Shade last September, but, "better late than never." Was so very happy with the plants I received last year + the awesome customer service provided by Rob that I knew I would be placing more orders with him going forward, which I did this past Monday.

In addition to all of the hosta varieties Rob offers, I couldn't believe how many more he added for 2013! How's a girl to choose??? Whew ... that was difficult, but I some how managed to maintain some level of self-control!

Thanks Rob & Made In The Shade for the beautiful plants you sent me last year [which are growing wonderfully] & I can't wait to receive my new plants next week :)

Posted on October 22, 2010, updated May 23, 2013
We received our first order from Rob. He kept me up to date from the day they were shipped until I received them! The hosta's are beautiful and very well packaged. I am already planning my spring order from Made in the Shade Gardens! Its a beautifu morning here in Kentucky, I cant wait to get them in the ground!

On May 23rd, 2013, veryblessed added the following:

I just received my second order from Rob at Made in the Shade. What can I say, the hostas were beautiful and the packaging was great. Rob always has a great selection of newer varieties at prices that canít be beat. I have purchased many hostas from Rob over the last 3 years or so and I donít think I have lost one. I highly recommend Made in the Shade!

As a new customer I was concerned about the quality of the ordered hostas. The plants were in great condition, ready to plant. Rob has a returning customer because of his "customer service" and a great product!

On April 3,2013 I received 31 Hostas that I had been ordering since Nov.2012. I ordered 6 each month and sent a check with each order so in April all I would have to pay was the shipping. Rob thought that was a great idea because I'm on SS now. The plants arrived and the packing was actually pretty, I felt I should pay extra but Rob said "thats the way we do it'. The root systems were huge,every plant had 3 to 7 eyes they were all already leafing out, I mean beautiful healthy plants. April I odered another 6 plants same thing, I get an email that my order arrived and 3 days later I have my beautiful Hostas. In11/2 months they have doubled and some tripled in size. I will keep ordering each month because I"m just up to the L's . And the say Hostas won't grow in Florida.

I received my shipment of Hosta's on time and in great condition. These are nice sized plants and I plan to give Rob more orders as our planting room permits. I am a long time member of the American Hosta Society and appreciate the quality of the plants they offer.

Would I buy from this company again? You bet!! I received good service, plants were healthy and had good a root system, they were packaged well, and they provided good communication.

1. They emailed me when my order shipped and provided
me a tracking number.
2. They tracked my order, and emailed me to let me know
what day to expect my order.
3. They wanted me to email them once I received my hosta order and inspected my plants.

How many companies do this for their customers? This shows me they care about their customers and their company's reputation. I'd highly recommend this company to anyone who wants to buy hostas.

I was looking for fragrant hostas and they e-mailed me information that was very helpful. I order 2 different type and they inform me that a third kind was a better selection for one kind. I followed their advice and I am very happy with their choice. The plants arrived promtly and in great shape.

Posted on June 20, 2011, updated July 31, 2012
Posted on May 8, 2008, updated June 20, 2011
By far, this has been a fantastic transaction. I recently lost two mail-ordered Fujibotan Hosta to an insane squirrel. Looking to replace them, I found Rob and his 'Made in the Shade Gardens'. I took 'that chance' and ordered replacement Fujibotans from Rob. First of all, the communications relative to the order were great. Rob and/or his staff were right atop the order. Further, they did exactly what they said they would do, when they said they would do it; not exactly the 'norm' in mail-order nurseries.

The Hosta arrived USPS Priority mail today (along with the rainstorm that Rob was so kind to supply) and were in perfect condition, well packed, mature, and ready to go into the ground (when the rain quits). I have told Rob and will tell anybody, this order has been a pleasant surprise, actually, beyond expectations and Rob has gained a new customer.

I have not been into gardening that long but, I spent over 40 years of my life as a Service Manager in the computer hardware business. Rated on a scale of 1-10, Made in the Shade Gardens gets a 12+++ in my book. He/they understand how to satisfy a customers needs.

On September 17th, 2009, alheline added the following:

Two or three orders later - - - I came upon a 'SPECIAL NEED' for a particular hosta, actually two of them, one for myself and one as a gift for a life-long friend that was undergoing a very serious medical situation. I e-mailed Rob with a question about the hosta and was surprised when he responded within minutes. He was not at home/nursery and said he would get back to by around 6PM. His response was early, which caught me off guard again. He had what I asked for, which in itself was a special request. He invoiced me so that I could pay by Pay-Pal (correctly) but I needed to talk to him. When I called, he was already (physically) packing my hosta for shipment the next morning. Both arrived today, one in Illinois, one in Pennsylvania. Both (and the one in PA was going to a Big-Time gardener) were both in perfect condition. She will not be able to plant it - so she 'drafted' her husband and will supervise the planting.

Rob and 'Made in the Shade Gardens' has raised the bar again. There is a reason that there are no Neutral or Negative reports for this company - They are GREAT and care for their customers as well as they do their hosta. On June 20th, 2011, alheline added the following:

June 17th, 2011 - 10 more of Rob's hosta arrived in perfect condition and were planted. Eight of the ten were for a small project and were of a lesser expensive variety, but were packed with extra special care because some are already in bloom. Only one of the scapes got broken but there is another spike ready to bloom on the same plant. Yes, it was a multi-eye plant, yet another thing you don't expect to see in mail order plants. The quality of plants received from Made In The Shade continues to be great and every plant has been healthy. Thanks Rob. On July 31st, 2012, alheline added the following:

Yet another 10 plants (Rainbow's End hosta) arrived USPS Express Mail in perfect condition this past week. Rob advised me via email that the plants were enroute and the mailman delivered them as expected. They were removed from their shipping box immediately and found to be in excellent condition. I lost one leaf out of the 10 plants. The route networks were fantastic, as usual. In this week of Olympic competition in the UK, if there was a Gold medal for 'Hosta Mail Order Companies' there would be nobody even close. 'Made In The Shade Gardens' wins again.

I got a lot of personal attention from Made in the Shade. They have a great selection of plants, fast shipping, and very reasonable prices. The hostas I ordered arrived very quickly and were in great shape. The both had extensive root systems. I will definitely order from Made in the Shade again and give them a very strong recommendation. You won't be disappointed.

Prompt and complete customer service, with a great product. What a bonus! This is the first time I ordered from Made In The Shade Gardens, but it will not be the last time, by any means. I received a timely reply to my email questions and had no trouble ordering or paying for the order. I was surprised to receive the hostas so quickly and in such great shape.

My first time ordering from Made in the Shade and I was very pleased. My hosta arrived fast and in excellent condition. Healthy plant and great root system. I'll be ordering again from this fine company. Thanks Rob!

I just received my two hostas in the Mouse series and they were just BEAUTIFUL. I was so happy to see them. They had wonderful leaves, super healthy roots and were wrapped so well and tagged. They arrived so fresh and ready to plant that you wouldn't think they came through the mail. I will certainly buy from this excellent seller again. Buy from them with total confidence-you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the excellent packaging hostas arrived without any damages. Plants are large already, verry healthy, strong and beautiful. Because the large size, youll see all the charecteristic of the plant. The seller's hosta selection is large, plants are beautiful. Great website.
Highly reccomended seller.

Posted on October 6, 2011, updated May 3, 2012
Just recived an order from the folks at Made in the Shade and couldn't be happier. Huge selection, fast shipping, excellent packaging, and superb customer service. Highly recommended.

On May 3rd, 2012, GardenerGreg added the following:

Just received another fantastic order from Made in the Shade. Its worth shopping here for the customer service alone, not to mention their wide selection of hard-to-find hosta, impeccable packaging, and reasonable prices. Keep up the great work Rob!

We just received a shipment of hostas and they are beautiful healthy plants! I am so impressed. I also appreciate the clear labelling of which was which in the box! Ordering was easy. Paying was painless. And the whole process was fast! It is much appreciated. I'll be back!

Pleased to say I will be ordering again from Made in the Shade. I first looked for a hosta supplier that was close to our physical location (SE Colo) and thus had some knowledge of our strange climate and soils. I made my selection and notified them of the plants I wanted. I received a call on Sunday afternoon from Rob checking for my shipping information. The order was out on Monday and arrived quickly (USPS was a bit slow). The plants were neatly and safely packed in a triangular tube. The bare roots were moist and all leaves were intact and healthy. I have planted them and they are fluffing out quite well! The order was followed by Rob who made sure they arrived intact and in a timely manner. The company did an excellent job (and the prices were quite reasonable!)

I just received an Empress Wu hosta from Made in the Shade Gardens and I must say that I was truly impress with the quality of the plant. It got to me healthy with amazingly huge leaves. Rob Mortko emailed to let me know that my plant was forthcoming and supplied tracking information. I will definitely shop at Made in the Shade Gardens again!!

I've ordered from Rob before and I just keep coming back.
The quality of his hostas are A+. The customer service is impeccable. Notification of shipping times, followup emails after shipping, quickness and condition of plants on delivery are the best in the business.
Can't go wrong with MADE IN THE SHADE!!!

I am extremely impressed with this vendor. I have been buying plants through mail order for years and no other vendor has ever shown the interest in customers that Made in the Shade Gardens does. I received an email when the plants were shipped and a follow up email to make sure I had received the plants, that they were in good shape, and that I was pleased with the order. The plants were very nice and healthy. It was a real pleasure dealing with this vendor.

This was our first time ordering from Made in the Shade and we were very happy. They had a great selection, including some older varieties I've had trouble finding lately, at very reasonable prices. Nice size hostas with good roots. Enjoyed exchanging e-mails with Rob; he checks to make sure you are satisfied with the order.

As a new hosta fan in the deep south, I can appreciate having early delivery of an order before it gets too hot. My order came two days ago now, and all four hosta were in good shape. Well packed to keep the bare roots from drying out, and the already-growing leaves from damage in the USPS Priority Mail shipping box. Then yesterday, I got a followup email from Rob to see if all was well with the shipment. Yes it is, and the lovely hosta are already in pots.

It's nice to have a seller making the effort to follow the product to its final destination, and care what happens to the plants. I get that impression from Rob. He also suggested membership in the AHS/American Hosta Society, which I joined around the time I placed my hosta order with him. Lots to like about hostas, and the growers/sellers who care make it much nicer for us home gardeners. I expect to be ordering again because he has good prices and a good selection of hosta varieties. That's something I cannot find at any nursery locally, and do not want to buy from big box stores with no thought of HVX issues. Way to go, Made In The Shade!

I ordered a little over $100 in hostas from Made in the Shade Gardens, and they arrived healthy, well packed, vigorously growing, and ready to plant in the mail yesterday. They have an incredible selection, and I was contacted personally by Rob as he checked to see if I received my order. Thank you!

Posted on April 29, 2010, updated August 17, 2011
I ordered 10 hostas from Made In The Shade this season and I am so pleased with everything about the company. The selection is wonderful as is the pricing. Shipping is very well priced and super-fast! I live in Wisconsin and the hostas arrived within 2 days via priority mail.

The hostas are shipped bareroot but I would be extremely hard-pressed to find nicer hostas in pots. The root systems are tremendous, the leaves are perfect - I've never seen such healthy hostas. They were very well packaged and the plants were well hydrated.

Rob is very nice to deal with - it's very obvious that he loves hostas and takes very good care to ensure that they arrive at their destination safely and quickly.

I wish all mail-order companies were as wonderful as Rob's Made In The Shade! I put this company at the very top of my list!

On August 17th, 2011, tobydog60 added the following:

I just received my 2011 order from Made In The Shade - and, once again I'm very pleased both with the quality of the plants and the very quick shipping.

I'm a little late in ordering this year, so I was prepared to receive hostas with a little wear-and-tear, but they are perfect! Great company to do business with!

The hostas arrived relatively quickly (they didn't ship immediately as they would have sat around with USPS over the hot weekend, so I appreciate that) and have an incredibly healthy root system. The prices are reasonable and the shipping charges are exceptional. I will definitely buy from them again!

When someone does a great job, credit is due!
Last week, after perusing their awesome website, I decided to purchase 3 hostas from Made In The Shade Gardens. They provided friendly and exceptional service. The hostas were packed so they arrived fresh as if they had just been harvested despite soaring summer temperatures.
I highly recommend this company.